Dunkin Donuts boosts social with a bit of pumpkin spice

This week it's all about the jump into fall, sports and fashion on our weekly showcase of The Dachis Group's Social Business Index.

Our focus is on three well-known brands – an energy drink distributor, a well-loved drink and dessert partnership and a fashion designer as analyzed by the Dachis Group’s Cynthia Pflaum.

We'll also take a glimpse at the top twenty brands on the Social Business Index, a real-time ranking of more than 30,000 global brands based on their performance in the social space, to see how the biggest brands in social are faring.

Monster Beverage

Monster Beverage Corporation edged closer to the top 50 this week, moving from from 76 to 69, within the Social Business Index. Motivated by their favorite athletes and extreme sports, fans flocked to company’s Monster Energy Facebook page due to the high quality, action-packed images of the activities and people the brand sponsors. In particular, one photo of Ken Block pushing towards victory mid-air at the Rally Défi helped push the company’s social standing forward this week as fans shared their love of the race, vehicle, and driver within the comments.

The photo garnered 41,000 likes and nearly 1,800 shares -- proof that these types of moments get Monster Energy fans to act and spread messages that resonate with them. As Monster Energy continues to show support for its athletes, action-oriented fans will continue to identify with its efforts. This goes for all companies that leverage social content to provide an emotional and vibrant experience as if fans were there.

Dunkin’ Brands

Last week, Dunkin’ Brands perked up 15 spots in the Social Business Index to 112 overall. Equal parts new product announcement and seasonal engagement, activity across brands Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins helped the company achieve even more equity among ice cream, baked goods, and coffee fans alike.

For Dunkin’ Donuts, a fall back to Fall instilled nostalgia among its social customer base. Posts and tweets regarding the start of football (with a delicious, icing-laced football donut!) and the return of pumpkin spice -- in nearly every coffee drink imaginable -- created peaks in conversation attributable to the brand understanding audience interests well.

Baskin-Robbins innovative new way to eat soft serve ice cream, Waffle Chip Dippers, sweetened the pot further. Customers swirled with excitement and interest over the invention, some even publicly proclaiming “what a CLEVER idea!” Through the use of a tantalizing photo and a simple, clear call-to-action the announcement had staying power; gaining enthusiastic fan comments four days later.

PPR SA

For PPR, Gucci’s timeless yet modern return to the pieces that built its brand, drove its 11-point jump in the Social Business Index this week. The announcement of its “Icons of Heritage” line -- a reinvention of stylish bags of the past -- on Facebook stirred substantial brand love that fans exclaimed to each other and their stylish friends.

This delight spurred roughly 35,000 likes and nearly 1900 shares, a testament to the place the iconic brand continues to have among women across generations. However, Gucci’s invitation for its Facebook community to “Cut & Craft” their own versions of these handbags propelled the brand socially even further.

The initiative tempts fans to show-off their “most fashionable side(s)” by designing a pop-up paper Gucci handbag to be voted on by the community and even the brand’s creative director, Frida Giannini, herself. Frida’s own design excited fans to amplify Gucci’s news and entice other like-minded connections to get involved, too.

This updated twist on traditional brand moments bring advocates closer to the brand and allows them to participate in ways, that in the past, only existed in dreams.

Editors note: The Social Business Index, a free ranking compiled by The Dachis Group, is based on the analysis of conversations on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other social platforms. The index is based on the execution and effectiveness of businesses at driving outcomes such as brand awareness, content sharing, and advocacy.

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